For me, like many people heading towards their 30s, rising property prices mean that the prospect of buying a house is a long way off.
But according to Lindsey Bryant, 38, and her partner Vicki Wright, 35, getting a house is not just doable, it's also possible to pay off your entire mortgage in less than four years.
The pair dodged a 35 year loan by paying off their £160,000 mortgage early on their south coast flat.
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And the mortgage-free super-savers then kept saving and bought their £300,000 four-bed detached home outright just three years later.
The couple, who own their own recruitment business, insist that it's not as a result of them being tight, as they have never had a budget and never gone without.
Credit: SWNS
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They have enjoyed up to four holidays a year, shop in Waitrose and drive a sports car - and had this year have taken temporary early retirement to ponder their future.
They have revealed their simple 'secret' is considering the cheapest deal for every purchase - and then immediately putting any money saved towards the mortgage.
Tthis meant that if they spotted a holiday for £400, but managed to negotiate a £300 price tag, they'd put the 'saved' £100 towards a mortgage payment.
They did this for every single thing they bought for four years - right down to the 20p pocketed by buying a cheaper can of pop at the supermarket for lunch.
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Lindsey and Vicki also only did jobs with bonus-based salaries and always did one extra day of overtime a month.
Other top tips include selling every item if they hadn't used it in the last 12 months and snubbing online in favour of negotiating with people directly.
Despite being in their 30s, the pair have taken "temporary early retirement" while shopping around for their next mortgage-free home.
Credit: SWNS
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Vicki said: "It's all based on the premise of never going without - but just buying what we want, seeing if we can get it cheaper, and then saving the difference.
"That and making good choices that boost our income and save us money."
Lindsey said: "I would say for most people, if they really want to pay off their mortgage early, they could probably do it.
"We've never ever had a budget. We've never lived like that. We are quite self disciplined.
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"Will-power is the key. That's much more important that switching off light switches or eating budget own brand foods.
"We didn't have to sacrifice. We just made choices when we were presented with them."
Lindsey and Vicki first met in 2004 and after a few months together embarked on an adventure to Australia with just £600 between them.
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They caught the 'savings bug' when they landed jobs in exclusive bars and events, getting huge tips bartending and promoting.
With a social life virtually paid for thanks to working in VIP clubs and bars - serving the likes of Paris Hilton and Chris Hemsworth - they had saved £25,000 in two years.
"We worked seven days a week for the last six months and just watched our bank balance go up and up and up," said Lindsey.
They went on a no-expense-spared four-month holiday on the way back and the experience gave them a taste for combining super savings and high living.
With all their friends already on the property ladder, they used their remaining money towards a £22,000 deposit for a £160,000 one-bed seaside flat in Bournemouth, in September 2007.
Faced with the prospect of a 35 year loan, they pledged to pay it off in five years - and worked out they'd need to live off one salary to do it.
Credit: SWNS
Vicki, who initially came up with the idea, said:"I listened to people around me in their 50s with mortgages around their necks and I didn't want that.
"After being in Australia and being able to save so much it sort of became addictive."
Lindsey added: "We got that buzz for saving big and just like the bug you get for travelling, it just didn't go away."
Featured Image Credit: SWNSTopics: Money